


Figure Me Out

by hotmudwateronice



Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drinking, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Mild Sexual Content, Mutual Dislike, Mutual Pining, Summer Vacation, angst here and there, they hate each other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:59:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27717823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotmudwateronice/pseuds/hotmudwateronice
Summary: It was supposed to fun; six weeks in Spain with her three best friends, drinking beer and bathing in the sun and eyeing up cute girls. That’s what vacations were all about right? Sun, sex and booze?But no, it’s never that easy, at least not for Ellie Williams. Not when Dina Ackerman, her old high school enemy, is there to throw a spanner in the works.So much for a relaxing vacation.
Relationships: Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 71





	Figure Me Out

The airport is bustling. There are people everywhere, surrounding Ellie in thirty different directions. There’s the overly fussy parents who won’t stop talking, the little shit siblings running around causing havoc and hormonal teenagers everywhere. 

What else would you expect to see in an airport when the entire Science department of Moscow University (including the social sciences) had an upcoming “educational” trip to Spain for the summer break? 

The trip itself was actually optional - it wasn’t mandatory to pass the year. The University had advertised it as a trip to build skills abroad in the Spanish heat, sightsee and learn about another culture. Of course, it was also advertised as “a way to make new life long friends!”, a statement that made Ellie merely roll her eyes and toss the advertisement letter in the trash. 

To the students, what the trip really meant was 3 things: No parents, copious amounts of (legal!) alcohol and sun. What a divine mixture. 

Ellie can just envision it now - paralytic, hormonal teenagers wrecking havoc around the pool in broad daylight, stumbling around like toddlers and throwing up in the pool. 

Somehow, Joel convinced her to go, stating that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and a way for her to branch herself out a bit. He was optimistic about her meeting new people and making some friends. 

Yeah, sure Joel, whatever helps you sleep at night. 

So here she was, feeling claustrophobic in the crowded airport surrounded by teenagers who were excited to visit a foreign country and legally inhale as much alcohol as possible. 

“Students, we have five minutes until we need to get a move on! Get everything ready, including your luggage and boarding passes! And for Christ’s sake, make sure your suitcase isn’t over the weight limit!” Mr Burton bellowed loudly, earning a few disapproving stares from some of the elderly folks waiting to get their luggage checked out in a queue nearby. 

Ellie ticked off her mental list. 

Suitcase? Check. 

Hand luggage? Check. 

Boarding passes? Shit. 

Sickening panic rushed through Ellie as she pat down her pockets because  _oh shit where is the boarding pass, it was there a second ago-_

“It’s in the front pocket of your hand luggage, kiddo.” Joel says with a little chuckle, slowly crouching down to open the zip of her backpack and retrieve the documents necessary for her to actually get on the plane. 

“I knew that.” She says, snatching the papers out of her adoptive father’s hand and shoving it in her hoodie pocket. 

“You definitely have your sunscreen? I know how you burn when it’s gets hot out.” 

“Joel, you don’t need to remind me of how deathly pale I am. I look at this face everyday in the mirror.” 

Ignoring his daughters cheeky jab, he continues his fatherly rant. “And you got that aftersun lotion, too? You’ll still burn even with that sunscreen. I put an extra bottle in your luggage just in case you run out. Sun lotion costs a damn fortune out there.” 

“Joel, you’re going all worried parent on me.” Ellie said firmly, trying to ignore the fact that Joel had been in her luggage at some point. Not that she really had anything to hide, but still, the thought of your parent (guardian, whatever) looking through your personal things is a bit unnerving. 

“My little girl is going on her first vacation without me, of course I’m gonna make sure you have everything you need. I don’t want you coming home like a sun-dried tomato.” 

“Joel, I’m fucking nineteen years old!” 

“Yeah an’ I’ve only had you for five years so you’re still technically my baby. Speaking of babies, do you have your talcum power? For your rashes-“ 

“-Oh for fucks sake, Joel. Yes I have the talc powder  _and_ the anti-itch serum shit.And everything else you put on my list. Including extra underwear. You think I’m gonna piss myself everyday or something?” 

Joel chuckles and crosses his arms over his chest. “You’re gonna be drinkin’ a lot since it’s legal over there. It’s always wise to have extra underwear, kiddo, trust me.” 

“So you’re speaking from experience then?” 

“Two minutes!” Mr Burton yelled a reminder for the students. 

Ellie glanced at the other students and their families, most much bigger than her own, as they pulled each other in for hugs and final goodbyes. Some parents were even crying - it was only a six week vacation for fucks sake. Ellie cringed at the sight of a woman wailing and babbling like a child as she pulled her son in for a crushing embrace. The son looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. 

Turning back to Joel, she was greeted with his small, knowing smile, one she had learnt to associate with home and warmth. 

“I’ll miss you, kiddo. You stay safe, alright? And don’t forget to call every few days, you hear?” 

“Got it, old man.” 

Mr Burton once again reminded everyone it was time to go. Another mental check in her mind confirmed she had everything she needed and looked up to Joel one last time. 

He smirked down at her, eyes small and teasing. “And no foolin’ around with the pretty Spanish ladies, either.” 

A choked laugh escaped her and only then did she realise how much she was going to miss Joel and their tiny little family. “No promises. I’ll call when I get to the hotel?”

“You better.” 

Mr Burton’s annoying shrill found her ears once more, and with one last smile to her adoptive father, she turned and followed the sea of students. 

Leaving Joel wasn’t foreign to her. She’d done it once already when she’d first started studying at University in Moscow, Idaho. It had been scary when she first left him, moving to a city she knew hardly anything about and into a place where she didn’t know anyone. It may have a been a daunting experience, one that all university students had to go through, but Joel had called her every day for weeks, whether it be just to check in on her or just to catch up and talk. It turned out he missed her just as much as she missed him. Ellie had purposely chosen a college only a state away from their little town in Jackson, not wanting to stray too far from the people who welcomed her into their family. 

Ellie was insanely grateful for everything Joel - plus Tommy and Maria - had done for her since she joined their family. They’d given her so many opportunities and life experiences that she would’ve never had the chance to experience in foster homes. 

She hadn’t wanted to come on this trip to Spain, but Joel had wanted her to go, not caring about how much it would cost or whether Ellie would actually get any educational gain from it. 

She was still unsure about the entire thing, but as she weighed her luggage and watched it move on the conveyer belt, she knew there was no turning back. 

After the luggage was processed and all of the necessary security checks were completed, the students separated into their friend groups and cliques in the waiting area. Ellie scanned the room for her friends, assuming they would already be here since she had been towards the back of the queue. 

It didn’t take long to notice the familiar near mullet that belonged to Jesse. To her shock - and amusement - it was even longer than she’d last seen it. As strange as it looked compared to every other male in the room, it actually kind of suited him? Not that she would ever tell him that. 

Weaving through the gaps between bodies and luggage, trudging her own belongings behind her, she eventually made it to her friends. 

“What’s up, guys?” Ellie greeted, dropping her backpack to the floor and rolling her shoulder to quell the ache that had settled there. 

Jesse beamed at her, moving to curl his arm around her shoulders and shake her excitedly. “You made it! We were beginning to get worried you wouldn’t show up!”

“Of course I showed up, you dick.” She says, shimmying out of Jesse’s grip to regain some form of personal space. Her friend knew she valued personal space and jokingly did his best to invade it. At first it had annoyed her, but she grew used it rather quickly, knowing he meant no harm and would back off if she asked. 

She looks over to the two other girls stood beside Jesse, Brooke and Cat, the two girls she’d be sharing a room with during their six weeks in Spain. 

Yeah, she was sharing a room with her ex girlfriend. Of course it wasn’t ideal and was probably a bad idea, but Ellie didn’t have any other women friends she could bunk up with. 

Ellie was thankful her and Cat split on good terms, at least. A messy breakup could have lead to a particularly awkward vacation. Maybe it would get a little uncomfortable here and there, but she would have to deal with it. She loved Cat dearly as a friend and couldn’t imagine spending this vacation without her. 

Ellie greeted the two shorter women with a small wave and a little “hi.” 

“Did you have a good start to the summer?” Brook, her dorm mate asked. Brook certainly wasn’t the type of friend Ellie would consider herself looking for, but spending an entire year sleeping in the same room as her drew them close together. Like Cat, Brook was a wonderful friend. They didn’t have much in common, if anything at all, yet they understood each other and connected in a way most roommates did. 

“Not too bad, I guess. Just chilled with the old man and played some video games.” Ellie replies dismissively, not wanting to bore her friends with her uneventful start to her summer break. She didn’t mention the long hours she spent reading comics or binging anime series, knowing her friends would tease for her it. 

“Sounds like a very Ellie thing to do.” Cat quips in with a gentle smile. 

Ellie was glad that even though they had separated a month before summer break, Cat still reserved that smile for her. It was nice. 

Ellie chuckled a little at her ex-girlfriends response, shuffling her foot a little. “Remind me again how long the flight is?” 

“15 hours.” Brook replied with a pained voice, drawing out the last word in a groan. 

“At least we all have seats together. I mean, for the price of the flights you  should  be allowed to chose your seat number. I think I would’ve cried if I couldn’t.” Jesse says optimistically, trademark grin gracing his lips. “Imagine paying out for the flights and you end up sitting next to a lecturer or something.” 

Ellie will always admire that man’s optimism towards every aspect of life. It never failed to amaze her. They had a 15 hour flight ahead of them and he was still smiling about it. 

“I wanna cry knowing I’m gonna be next to Jesse for 15 hours.” Ellie says dryly with a mischievous smirk directed at him. 

“Don’t lie. It’ll be the best 15 hours of your life. You can lay your head on my shoulder whilst you sleep and because I’m such a good friend, I won’t shake you off when you start drooling.  That’s  how much I love you, bro.” 

Cat barks out a laugh and shakes her head. “As someone who regularly shared a bed with Ellie, I’m telling you that you _do_ _not_ wanna sign up to that.” 

Ellie watches with a slowly reddening face as Brook also joins in to bully her. “Well, I haven’t ever shared a bed with her, no homo and all, but the amount of times I’ve seen her catching flies and drooling is  countless . After the first week I almost applied for a new roommate, I couldn’t cope with the snoring.” 

“What is this? Gang up on Ellie day?” Ellie exasperates, wondering how the fuck she’s going to cope with these three assholes for the next six weeks. 

Jesse claps a hand onto her shoulder and grins down at her. “You signed up for this when you registered for this vacation. It’s like, protocol to gang up on you. You’re the easiest to mess with.” 

Ellie shrugs his hand off her shoulder. “Fuck you guys. I knew I would get it from you and Cat, but Brook? I’m disappointed.” 

“You’re easy to bully, what can I say.” The dark skinned girl says with a cruel grin.

“You just wait, you’ll get what’s coming to you. All of you fuckers.” Ellie grumbles with a huff. 

“Ooh, don’t make her mad.” Cat teases and backs away jokingly, holding up her hands. 

“I’ve been here for five minutes and I already want to kill all of you. How the fuck am I going to last 15 hours in a confined space with you dickheads?” 

“You love us really, don’t pretend that you don’t.” Jesse teases as he leant in to invade her personal space once more, but she saw it coming, giving her time to duck out of the way. She stepped back too quickly, however, and her back bumped into someone. The someone gasps. 

Ellie turns, intending to project her apology to the person she just knocked into, but the words die in her throat mid sentence. A tonne of steel drops low into her stomach, akin to the feeling of her insides falling out. She’s fairly certain she’s seeing things right now. 

“Well, this is a surprise, and  not  the pleasant kind.” The girl says with a sickly smile on her face, dark eyes looking Ellie up and down, assessing her with a slight curl of her lip. 

Still taken aback by the shock of who was actually in front of her, Ellie just stands there with an open mouth, unable to form a coherent sentence in her frazzled brain. 

Dina Ackerman was someone Ellie had somewhat pushed to the back of her mind after finishing high school. Calling the other girl a high school bully was perhaps a bit of a stretch, since Ellie never just sat there and took the insults, instead choosing to match Dina’s fire with her own. 

Dina just didn’t like her. In turn, Ellie didn’t like her either. It had always been like that, since the day they met; they just rubbed each other the wrong way, bounced off of each other with a force that could never pull them together. Dina had started it with her fierce hatred towards Ellie; Ellie only pushed back. 

Dina would make a mean jabs towards Ellie, resulting in Ellie countering it with her own equally mean comment. More than once Dina would accuse Ellie of “staring” at her in the changing rooms in their physical education periods. That and the many other things Dina had done to her and said to her. The list of altercations between the two was endless, infinite, like the stars in the sky and the depths of the oceans. 

They just didn’t like each other. Dina had said and done too many things to Ellie for her to ever even consider reconciliation with her. 

When high school finished and she graduated (which honestly, she never thought she’d achieve, but she did it) she thought she could move on, forget about school and close that chapter of her life and concentrate on making Joel proud by doing well at University and starting a career. 

But it seems, considering that Dina was stood right here in front of her dressed in comfort attire and an Idaho University hoodie, they never escaped each other in the first place. 

“Stuck for words?” Dina says through a devilish smirk. “Cat got your tongue?” 

An electronic voice cuts the odd tension of their interaction, but Ellie is still stumped and barely comprehends the “ _Flight 104 ready for boarding, please have your passes ready”_ through the speakers. 

Jesse nudges her. It’s then that Ellie realises Dina has turned and left, leaving her standing there like a fool. 

“Who was that?” Cat asks with her arms folded over her chest, one hip cocked slightly. Her voice displays undertones of suspicion. It’s not the first time Ellie’s heard that tone of voice from the other girl. 

“Just someone I knew in high school.” Ellie murmurs and picks up her hang luggage, moving to join the queue. 

“Didn’t seem like ‘just someone you knew in high school’. Do you have a secret ex girlfriend you haven’t told us about?” Jesse exclaims with a grin and moves to stand next to her in the growing queue. 

Ellie scoffs, shaking her head. “Far from an ex girlfriend, Jesse. We hated each other in high school. From freshman year to senior year we were pretty much at each other’s throats.” 

“Did you ever fight each other?” Brook asks with interest and little sympathy. 

“Does she look like the type to knock someone out with her fists?” Ellie replies, voice dripping with sarcasm. Miss Popular was never one to hurt with her fists; but she knew how to hurt with words. 

Cat shrugs and searches the crowd for Dina. “I dunno, I thought she looked kinda badass.” 

“Honestly,” Jesse adds with a shrug, “Same. Kinda scary, too.” 

Ellie sighs and moves to shuffle up the queue when the gap between her and the person in front gets bigger. “We didn’t fight, no. She was just a bitch and I don’t like her. I didn’t even know she was a student here.” 

“Maybe she’s a stalker. She’s here to exact some revenge for all that high school drama bullshit.” Brook adds in nonchalantly, unaware of just how deep Ellie and Dina’s past went. 

“ _Or_ we just happened to end up at the same university.” Ellie retorts. “It doesn’t matter anyway. We just avoid her. Easy, right?” 

“Totally. If we see the hot high school bully coming our way, we turn on our heels and go the other way. Easy.” Jesse repeats with his trademark smirk, gently pushing Ellie forward when they reached the front of the queue.

Ellie hoped it was that simple. She really, really did. 

———————

Some time later, a mere three hours into their fifteen hour journey, Ellie was about ready to strangle her friends - Jesse in particular. 

Apparently poking her in the face, sides and arms was considered “fun” for her friends. Every time Ellie thought she was safe and let her guard down, another finger would jab her somewhere sensitive and cause her to instinctively jolt away from the intruding touch. 

“Ellie, can I ask you a serious question?” Jesse says as he dives in to poke her side. 

She slaps his hand away, resisting the urge to strangle him. “Will you stop poking me if I do?” 

“Sure. Maybe. We’ll see.” 

“Shoot then.” 

“Scarlett Johansson or that chick from Game of Thrones?” 

“Which chick? ‘Cause if you’re gonna say Daenerys I actually think her interpreter is more my type.” 

“Interesting.” 

Cat kicks the back of Ellie’s seat, causing her jolt forward and narrowly miss face planting the seat ahead of her. Cat pokes her head through the gap in the seats so she can butt into the conversation. “Is no one gonna mention Natalie Dormer as Margaery? She would get it from me.” 

Brook groans and pushes her head back into the headrest, rolling her eyes. “Are you three just gonna talk about girls for this entire holiday?” 

The other three nod eagerly. Jesse twists his upper body so he can talk to Brook a little easier, shooting her his trademark grin, “hopefully even meet some girls, if you know what I mean,” he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, earning an exaggerated gag from Brook. 

Ellie leans back in her seat, closes her eyes and listens to her friends’ conversation, only contributing with small grunts and effortless hums. Joel had woken her at the ass crack of dawn, claiming they had to make the most of their time together before they left for the airport. Whilst she was mildly annoyed at being woken up at 5am, she was grateful for the hearty breakfast Joel had whipped up for the both of them. 

She’s sure she’s slowly drifting into a peaceful sleep, the noise in her ears slowly getting quieter and her body relaxing into the semi-comfortable seat. That is, until she’s jolted forward again by Cat jamming her foot into her seat from behind again. 

“Will you give me a fucking break, guys?” She snaps, whipping her head around to glare at Cat, who just sits there beside Brook with a devilish smirk.

“You can’t go to sleep yet, we haven’t even played I-Spy yet.” Jesse teases, nudging her with his elbow. 

“Fine. I spy with my little eye something beginning with D.” She grinds out through gritted teeth and a clenched jaw, eyes narrowing at the man beside her. 

There’s a few moments of silence before Cat chips in her answer, “Door?” 

“No. Dickhead.” Ellie points to Jesse, who jolts back pretending to be wounded by her insult. “Now stop talking and let me have a nap. I’m  begging  you.” 

Ellie hears Cat barking out a laugh behind her. “Ellie, begging? That’s new.” 

Brook shoots the girl beside her a look. “Let her sleep, she’s broody and tired. She’s no fun like this. I’ve suffered enough of her attitude for a year, I know when she’s on one.” 

“Oh, I’m no fun?” Ellie swivels in her seat to glare at the two girls behind. “You guys just spent the last hour abusing me with pokes and jabs and kicks. Gimme a fuckin’ break, will you?” 

Cat smirks at her, that devilish and cruel smile she’d seen countless times during their relationship. It always came out whenever the shorter girl wanted to mess with her, which had been around 80% of the time. “She’s right. Sorry, Ellie.” She apologises, but Ellie knows Cat’s not finished yet. “I forgot you bruise like a fucking peach.” 

“I do not-“ 

“-you absolutely do, it takes about 0.7 seconds for hickeys to show up on your skin-“

“Guys.” Brook cuts in, thrusting out an open palm to block Ellie’s face, “that’s too much information. I don’t wanna hear it.” 

Ellie scoffs and attempts to manoeuvre her head around the obstructing hand, but Brook just follows her. Eventually Ellie gives up and turns back into her seat, ignoring the amused expression on Jesse’s face. 

It takes around 30 seconds before Ellie feels the back of her seat being nudged. Fuming, practically foaming at the mouth, she gets up from the seat and announces that she’s going to the bathroom. Her eye twitches in annoyance at the sight of her three dickhead friends holding back giggles at her outburst. 

She makes it to the little bathroom stall, mentally preparing herself for the experience that was peeing inside an airplane. The stall was currently occupied. She expects it to be a fucking mess in there, piss all over the floor and no toilet paper, probably shit flung up the walls too. She shudders as she thinks about the bathrooms in the train station back in Boston. Surely nothing could be worse than Boston public restrooms. 

The door for the bathroom clicks and of course, just her fucking luck, Dina steps out. 

The shorter girl smirks cruelly at her and leans against the frame. “Trying to follow me in here, Williams?” 

“I’m just here to pee.” Ellie shoots back, annoyed. _What are the fucking chances..._

“Sure you weren’t trying to peep through the crack in the door?” 

“Sure. Yeah. That’s exactly what I was doing. Nothing turns me on more than the sight of women peeing.” Ellie says, voice laced with sarcasm. “Can you like, move?” 

“It’s a free country.” Dina snaps back. 

“And I need to pee. So unless you want a mess on your shoes, I suggest you move and let me in there.” 

“Charming as ever, I see.” Dina quips before shifting her weight to stand straight and side stepping to allow Ellie the space to enter the little bathroom. 

“Alright, fuck off and leave alone now, will you?” Ellie spits when Dina doesn’t make any moves to walk back to her seat. 

Ellie doesn’t bother to wait for an answer, instead sliding the door shut as quickly as possible to block out whatever Dina had to say. Dina had always been quick and witty, so Ellie doubted that a year on she would’ve changed. She didn’t want to hear whatever that girl said. 

After finishing her business and throughly washing her hands (the bathroom wasn’t as gross as she’d originally thought, but it certainly wasn’t pristine), Ellie made her way back to her seat and threw herself in it with a huff. 

She checked her phone. 4 hours in to the flight, 11 to go. 

Unknowing to Ellie, a small hand peeked out from between the seats and gently poked her in the side. Before Ellie had a chance to catch the offending hand in the act, the owner pulled it back out sight. She heard Cat and Brook giggling behind her. 

11 hours seemed like an entire fucking lifetime away. 

—————— 

Eventually, her friends had given in and allowed Ellie to actually have some peace. 

Cat had fallen asleep on Brook’s shoulder, an oversized sweater draped over her to protect her from the harsh air conditioning. Brook was slipping in and out of sleep, half paying attention to a movie she’d downloaded on her iPad. 

Jesse had been making funny faces at a toddler across the row for fifteen minutes. The toddler, who had previously been throwing a tantrum and crying, was now happily mimicking Jesse’s ridiculous faces and giggling himself silly. The mother looked tired, but a small smile was present on her face as she watched her son interact with Jesse. 

Meanwhile, Ellie was listening to the 9-hour playlist she’d created specifically for the flight. It was an absolute mixture of songs, featuring more genres than one could count on their hands. A mixture of soft rock, acoustics, a sprinkle of heavy metal and some old songs she’d grown to love from hearing Joel play them in his truck. 

When Bowling for Soup’s  _Highschool Never Ends_ starts to play, Ellie cringes at the irony and wonders why she ever even liked this song in the first place. 

It’s not that her high school experience was bad. It certainly wasn’t terrible or torturous, but it had never been easy.

In foster care she’d moved around a lot, to different schools and different cities. As much as she had pretended it didn’t bother her, the moving and restarting her life over and over became exhausting and stressful. 

After Joel had taken her in and welcomed her into his home, it was hard to adjust. Sure, it was a better life, certainly more stable than anything she’d ever had before, but finally settling down and building a life with her new family was difficult. She didn’t know how to be someone’s kid, didn’t know how to act or talk or even exist around Joel. 

Settling into a highschool permanently had been tough, too. Eventually, she made some friends and started to come out of her shell a little. Since starting University she’d lost contact with a few of them, but she still sent Sam text messages every few days (weeks, if she was behind on course work). 

So yeah, moving in with Joel and starting a new school at the same time had been a little tough as Ellie was not used to so much stability and solidness in her life. There was always a doubt creeping in the back of her mind that things were too good, that something would turn sour eventually or she’d wake up and find that she had been dreaming all along. 

Settling into the school permanently had been the easy part, compared to what her relationship with Dina had in store for her. 

Ellie can’t exactly pinpoint when it had all started. She can’t remember if it was the first time Dina accused her of staring at her, or if it was when Dina slipped her note that said something along the lines of her being strange and weird. It could’ve been when Dina spread rumours about Ellie liking her. 

Whatever started it, whenever it started, it didn’t take long for Ellie to start barking back at the shorter girl. Ellie wasn’t the type of kid to take shit from other people. It’s probably the only benefit she gained from spending so much time in the system.She was used to being dealt the shit hand and refused to take it anymore. 

As her time in high-school passed, she got older, more confident in herself, and (arguably) more mature. As she grew in body and mind, the hostility grew wider between the two girls. The jabs would become that much harsher, more direct, more hurtful. 

There were times Ellie would be upset about it. There were times where she just wanted to smash Dina’s pretty little face in with her fist. There were times she just couldn’t bring herself to care about what Dina would say or do. 

Okay, so maybe high school bully was a correct term to describe Dina. Whilst it didn’t bother Ellie anymore, it certainly had at the time. 

As cliché as it was, Dina had been the popular girl and Ellie had been the loser kid. Whatever Dina said went; people would believe her no matter how absurd or crazy her statement was. If Dina said Ellie had 12 toes, people would probably believe her. So when Dina expressed her disdain for the new girl, everyone followed suit. If Dina didn’t like the new kid, then no one did. 

A hand taps her shoulder to gain her attention. 

Torn from her memories, Ellie plucks an earbud from her ear and looks over to Jesse. “What’s up?”

“I downloaded some South Park on my phone for the flight. Wanna watch with me?” 

Whilst the whine of the vocals in  _Teenage Dirtbag_ plays in one ear, Ellie nods and brings her legs up to cross them. “Sure.” 

———————

Ellie falls asleep at around the 6 hour mark. 

When she drops off, neck bent at an awkward angle, Jesse turns to kneel on his seat so he can talk with to the girls behind. 

“She’s asleep!” He says in a hushed voice, glancing back at his sleeping friend to make sure she was indeed still passed out. 

“Here’s my phone. Make sure you get her good side!” 

Jesse laughs at the joke and swipes to access the camera. “Ellie has a good side?” 

With the two girls watching eagerly, Jesse takes a photo from almost every possible angle. He watches in absolute glee as Ellie shuffles in her sleep, probably to try and relieve the stress off her neck. Even more unflattering angles are exposed and he gets to work exploiting every single one of them. 

More than satisfied, Jesse hands the phone back to Brook. 

Cat leans in to watch Brook scroll through the photos, helping her pick out the “best” ones to post on Facebook for Ellie’s birthday. It’s still a few weeks away, but it’s good to prepared. 

“She’s gonna be so pissed when she finds out. Oh, that’s a good one!” Cat giggles, grabbing Brook’s wrist to get a better look at the unflattering photo. After a few minutes, she looks up with suspicion gleaming in her eyes. “I hope you guys didn’t do this to me when I was napping earlier.” 

“Nah,” Jesse waves dismissively, “you just look cute when you sleep. You’re quiet, you don’t move, you look chilled out. You kinda just look like you’re dead to be honest, I almost got out of my seat to check if you were still breathing.” 

Cat makes a face that implies she’s flattered by his comment but also a little weirded out. “Can’t say I’ve ever been compared to a dead person, but thanks...?” 

“No problem. Can’t say the same for this one.” He gestures to Ellie, who is now lightly snoring through parted lips. 

“Can’t say the same for you, either.” Brook quips, pocketing her phone, “remember that time you got so drunk I had to stay in your room with you? I was worried you were gonna choke on your vomit whilst you were asleep. Your snoring is atrocious.” 

“That’s because I was drunk!” he counters, “I don’t usually snore like that.” 

Cat and Brook share a glance. “Guess we’ll have to see, then. You’re gonna need to take a nap at some point.” 

“As long as you don’t take any photos of me, I’m fine with two pretty ladies watching me sleep.” 

Cat groans. “Ugh. Straight men.” 

Jesse chuckles and moves to settle back into his seat when he catches a flight attendant glaring at him. 

He glances to the left, seeing the toddler from before now curled up in his seat, fast asleep. After checking his watch and seeing they still have over 8 hours left of the flight, he decided to follow suit and try to get a few hours sleep. 

He hopes that when he wakes up, they’ll be landing and it’ll be time to start their vacation. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thought I’d post this since I’ve had this in my notes for a while. 
> 
> Welcome to my newest AU! First of all, I wanna state that updates will definitely not be as quick as Hold My Hand’s were. I’m a student with less time on my hands than I pretend to have. 
> 
> Loosely based on one of my own college vacations (very, very loosely based). I have no idea what you guys in USA do for school/college vacations and I doubt this is realistic, but oh well. Just uhh, I was debating on whether to tag for underage drinking since the characters aren’t technically gonna be underage drinking? Who knows. Like I said before, America U weird. 
> 
> Let me know what you think? And as always, thanks so much for reading.


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